


Love, Elder Secret

by elderkevinmckinley



Category: The Book of Mormon - Ambiguous Fandom, The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Getting Together, Kevin is a coffee boi, Love Letters, M/M, Poet!Kevin (sort of), Secret Admirer, Secret Crush, Valentine's Day, its pure sugary sweet valentine's day mush, mcpriceley, soft, this will legit rot your teeth out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 16:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13685289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elderkevinmckinley/pseuds/elderkevinmckinley
Summary: Happy Valentine's Day! Can you handle the cute?McPriceley





	Love, Elder Secret

**Author's Note:**

> I had all the Valentine's Day feels today for some reason and wanted to write some pure V-Day fluff for the bois.
> 
> I legit wrote this in a few hours at work (don't judge me, it's dedication okay) so this is definitely not my best work but wanted to get it up on Valentine's Day. 
> 
> Enjoy some sugary sweet McPriceley along with your V-Day candies today~ <3

Connor sighed as he traipsed into the mission hut, covered from head to toe in dirt. He’d been out all day tending to their little garden. The carrots were looking pretty good, with the exception of a few that had gotten gobbled up by whatever wild animals lurked about the yard. He sighed, thinking about how today was Valentine’s Day and he didn’t have anybody, again. Not that anybody in Uganda celebrated Valentine’s Day anyway, but Connor still felt a bit of heaviness in his heart. He was _finally_ out of the closet and for the first time in his whole life, he could have a boy valentine. He’d had some fake valentines in the past, of course, back in high school, when he was pretending to be interested in girls. But those never felt real for Connor. It was all just a facade.

But now, here in Uganda, he was liberated from the Church. He actually had the chance to have a boy valentine. More specifically, though, he wanted a certain boy to be his valentine. A certain Elder named Kevin Price.

He and Kevin had been growing closer over the past three months they'd been in Uganda, but Connor just wasn't sure if Kevin had _those_ types of feelings for him. They'd been dancing around it, avoiding it, never openly having the conversation about it. Kevin had never come out and actually _said_ he was gay, but Connor had his suspicions. He'd had his suspicions from the first moment Kevin Price had walked into the hut. Kevin never said he was gay, but he also never said he was straight either. No, Kevin never seemed to want to talk about his feelings at all—at least, not with Connor, anyway.

Connor took in a deep breath and tried to push the thoughts about himself and Kevin out of his mind. He just wouldn’t have a Valentine’s this year. And that was okay. The Elders all had plans to hang out and watch a movie later anyway. It was sure to be a blast. The only Elder who had any real Valentine’s Day plans was Arnold. He and Nabulungi were going out to dinner and maybe then for a stroll down by the lake, before coming back to watch the movie with the group. All of the Elders were nothing but happy for Arnold and Naba. They made a very sweet, adorable pair. Even Connor wasn’t  _too_ jealous. Well, maybe just a little. He longed for that type of closeness and companionship with someone too. More specifically, he longed for that type of closeness with Kevin.

Shaking his head, as though that might somehow, magically, make the unpleasant thoughts fall out of his head, Connor went into the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

He was surprised, however, to find a large, pink, heart-shaped note stuck to the mirror.

More than a little intrigued, he immediately grabbed it and opened it up.

It read:

 

_Dear Connor,_

 

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_You might not know it_

_But I really like you_

_(like, a lot a lot)_

 

_Oh and P.S.: Take a shower already, you’re literally covered in filth._

 

_Love,_

_Elder Secret_

_xoxo_

 

Connor felt a burst of pure adrenaline flood through his brain upon reading the words. His heart rate quickened. He stood perfectly still, in shock, as he re-read the note again and again and again, trying to determine whether or not this was a dream. Was this a dream?

_Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…_

A secret admirer? He had a _secret admirer_? In the _house_? This development certainly put an interesting spin on what otherwise had been a very dull day, for Connor.

Well, it certainly wasn’t Elder Price. It couldn't have been. The world just didn’t work that way, right? Especially not for Connor. If everything that had happened in his life up until that point was any indication, the world _definitely_ didn’t work that way. With his abysmal luck, it would be one of the other Elders who had a crush on him. He’d have to let them down gently, of course, without hurting their feelings, because let's face it, it would be wrong to string anyone else along. Kevin was the only one he wanted.

_Breathe, just breathe. In and out. Come on, you can do it._

Once his heart rate finally slowed down to a somewhat normal pace, he carefully folded up the note (which was, admittedly, cut out of adorable pink construction paper with specks of glitter all over it) and stuck it inside his pocket for safe keeping.

He then did like the letter said and took a long, hot shower, enjoying the feeling of dirt washing off of his body and disappearing down the drain. When he stepped back out of the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was... _smiling_. He was smiling so wide, it was _ridiculous_. He had to calm down. Now. He looked insane, like a crazy person.

_Alright, get a hold of yourself, McKinley. We don’t even know who it is yet. We don’t even know if it’s **real**. It could just be a joke. A really cruel practical joke. So just cool it. _

So he steeled himself, nodding rather sternly to his mirror reflection. Slipping on his bathrobe, he headed into the bedroom he shared with Chris.

Then he saw it. There on the nightstand was yet _another_ note.

_Another one? Oh, my gosh. Ohhh my gosh..._

This one was light blue with white glitter sprinkled all over it. And it was shaped like a tulip, Connor's favorite flower. Admittedly, it looked more like a deformed tulip, but, still, the sentiment was there. It was quite clear that Elder Secret had at least _tried_ to make it a tulip and that was all that mattered. 

One thing was quickly becoming obvious—whoever this person was _clearly_ wanted to endear themselves to Connor. It was sweet. It was very, very sweet and Connor was flattered. And excited. And nervous. And maybe he kind of felt like he might throw up a little, but only because this whole thing was just so crazy and wonderful and unexpected and—

 

_Dear Connor,_

 

_So have you guessed who I am yet?_

_Man, you suck at this_

_Well it sure isn’t Arnold (um, duh)_

_And it's also not Chris_

 

_P.S.: Go into the kitchen and you’ll find something special by the coffee pot. Don’t worry, it’s not a cup of coffee. I know you can’t stand the stuff. ;)_

 

_Love,_

_Elder Secret_

_xoxo_

 

 _Coffee pot?_ Interesting. Very interesting.

The only Elder who used the coffee pot was Kevin and Kevin _couldn’t_ be Elder Secret. There was no way. That would just be a little too perfect, wouldn’t it—for the person Connor had been crushing on for the past three months to actually like him back?

_No. No way._

He couldn't get his hopes up like that. He had to protect himself, be cautious, be prepared to be disappointed. It would never be Kevin. Not in a million years. The world had never given him what he wanted in the past and this time would be no different. He wouldn’t get Kevin. Not this time, not ever. And that's just how things were for Connor McKinley.

But if it _wasn’t_ Kevin, then who could it possibly be? The mystery at hand was driving Connor completely bonkers. He wanted to play this game. Oh, he wanted to play this game to the very end so his mystery admirer could finally be revealed. The curiosity was killing him.

Despite all of his negativity and realism and practicality, he still silently prayed to whatever God was listening in that it would be Kevin—that Kevin Price would ask him to be his valentine.

_Please be Kevin. I mean, I won’t get my hopes up or anything, but please God let it be Kevin. Just for once, let me be happy, please._

Connor wandered over to the kitchen, like the note instructed, and laid his eyes upon the coffee pot. There was a single, long-stemmed purple tulip next to yet another note. This time, the heart-shaped note was made out of purple construction paper with speckles of hot pink glitter. Whoever Elder Secret was, he certainly knew Connor's aesthetic. As he opened the third note, he felt his heart skip a beat. This was, in all honesty, the most exciting thing to happen to Connor McKinley since...well, since being kicked out of the Church, he supposed.

 

_Dear Connor,_

 

_Have you guessed who I am yet?_

_Seriously, still nothing??_

_::sigh::_

_Fine, I’ll give you a clue_

_Elder Church and Elder Michaels_

_Don’t have crushes on you_

 

_P.S.: Coming up with all these little poems is really hard but I'm hoping you'll think they're cute. Is it working? I hope so. :) Anyway, open the fridge and you might find a yummy surprise in there. And for once it's not sour milk or caribou meat! Woo hoo!_

 

_Love,_

_Elder Secret_

_xoxo_

 

Connor couldn’t help the gigantic smile that spread across his face at that. Well, one thing was becoming clear—whoever this “Elder Secret” was, sure was a charmer.

 _Kevin’s a charmer,_ he thought to himself, pensively _. But no, no, it couldn't be him. Connor McKinley, listen to me. Don’t even let yourself think about it. You'll just end up getting let down again. Stop setting yourself up to be hurt. Control yourself._

Not controlling himself in the slightest, he excitedly ran over to the fridge. He practically squealed in delight when he opened it and saw a platter of chocolate-covered fruits sitting on the shelf, along with _another_ note. The letter was red this time and in the shape of a mailbox. Smiling from ear to ear, Connor opened it.

 

_Dear Connor,_

 

_These pieces of chocolate_

_May be really sweet_

_But your blue eyes and freckles_

_Have got them all beat_

_(Mwah!)_

 

_Love,_

_Elder Secret_

_xoxo_

 

_P.S.: Okay, okay, I know the poems are bad, I’m sorry. What I'm really trying to say is that I think you’re sweet (and cute and funny and awesome and like a million other things) and I could basically just eat you up like a piece of chocolate (nom nom nom!). Is that weird? Creepy? If it sounds weird or creepy, then just scratch that last part._

 

_P.P.S.: Just go outside and open the mailbox, will ya?_

 

The note made Connor giggle and roll his eyes and shake his head all at the same time. His secret admirer was such a _dork_. A lovable dork.

 _Kevin’s a lovable dork too_ , he thought. Sigh. 

_Stop it. I'm serious. It’s not Kevin. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment, just like you always do. It's not over until it's over and right now, it could still be any of five Elders. Chill. Out._

He was sure his cheeks were probably flushed by now. He could feel them glowing. No one had ever paid him this much attention, romantically, before and it was thrilling. It made his insides feel like a gooey mess of melted chocolate. He folded the note and put it into his pocket, with the others. As he held the beautiful purple tulip in his hands, he breathed in and just took a quiet moment to appreciate the lovely, flowery scent. He placed the tulip in a glass of water before dashing out of the house (not without stealing _one_ chocolate-covered strawberry though—to munch on the way, of course).

 By the time he got to the mailbox, he was gasping for air. No time. He yanked open the mail box door and read the next letter.

 

_Dear Connor,_

 

_So we ruled out four Elders_

_You stink at this, really_

_Fine, I’ll give you a hint_

_It’s not Davis or Neeley_

 

_Love,_

_Elder Secret_

_xoxo_

 

_P.S.: You probably know who it is by now, but in order to reach the end, we have to keep going, sorry. Walk a bit down the road until you reach the café. On the tree right in front, you’ll find the last note. It's almost over!!_

 

Connor nearly collapsed from terror and excitement and wonder and hope. They were down to just _three Elders_ now...and one of them was Kevin.

_One of them was Kevin._

If this was _Deal or No Deal_ , let's just say, Connor McKinley would have had a _very_ good chance at taking home the money right about now. Alright, he needed to look at the facts. Schrader wasn't gay, at least Connor didn't think so. Zelder was quiet. Too quiet. But sometimes it was those quiet types who ended up surprising people the most. But Connor, honestly, deep down, was starting to actually think it might end up being... _Kevin_.

He sprinted so quickly to the café that he was panting now, heaving, gasping for oxygen and totally out of breath.

He just needed to get to the last note as soon as possible. He needed to find out if God had finally answered his prayers for once.

_Oh God, what if it's Kevin?_

He was certain he must have looked positively ragged at this point—his hair disheveled and drenched in sweat, his shirt, completely soaked through. He finally found the right tree and, there, taped haphazardly to its trunk, was a giant green note in the shape of a coffee cup.

_Coffee cup?_

Then suddenly it hit him.

_Café, coffee cup, chocolate, tulips…_

Kevin was the only Elder who frequented the café. He was the only one who even _liked_ coffee. He was the biggest chocolate lover in the house. And he was one of the only Elders to whom Connor had mentioned his love of tulips.

_Kevin. It **was** Kevin._

Unable to think clearly now, Connor just stood there, motionless, allowing fresh tears to boil up behind his eyes. Composing himself after a moment of shock, he managed to open the last note.

And when he finally did, it read:

 

_Dear Connor,_

 

_Well, it’s come to an end_

_We have us but three_

_It’s not Schrader or Zelder_

_So it has to be me!_

_(Kevin. It’s Kevin.)_

 

_So now that you know_

_And we’ve run out of time_

_I want to ask you, Connor McKinley…._

_Will you be my Valentine?_

_(it's a fake-y rhyme, I know, but it's all I got)_

 

_Love,_

_Elder Not-So-Secret_

_(It’s Kevin. It's Kevin Price.)_

_God, why do you suck so bad at this??? :)_

xoxo

 

_P.S: I'm **really** nervous about this but everyone has been telling me that you like me and if I find out they've been lying to me, I might have another mental breakdown. :( I’m not even kidding. _

_P.P.S: But no pressure or anything :)_

 

When Connor had opened the note, he'd found yet another note encased within, on white paper, and it read:

 

_P.P.P.S: Meet me in the café already, Connor!! I've been in here a LONG time now and that's a lot of coffee, even for me. Also, if you haven’t already guessed, this is a date. I’ve never been on a date before so this is kind of weird for me, but if I’m going to do something weird, I want it to be with you. Now hop to it before I drown myself in coffee (literally)._

 

Connor wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring down at the note. It was absolutely silent, save for the soft sounds of birds chirping and the occasional off-road vehicle passing him by. He didn’t move for quite a long while. He was too scared, too shocked, too puzzled. So instead, he just stood there, dumbly, staring down at the pieces of paper in his hands, pondering, wondering.

Was this real life? Or some kind of fairy tale?

Connor McKinley had never been afforded the fairy tale ending before. Never, not even once. But it seemed that today, on this Valentine's Day, the stars were all aligned. They were on his side for a change.

 _Kevin_.

Kevin Price _liked_ him. Kevin Price liked him and wanted to... _be_ with him. It was almost too much to handle. Kevin Price wanted _him_. Kevin Price wanted him to be his _Valentine._

Connor finally took in a deep breath, readying himself. He tried to fluff up his hair a little and wipe the sweat from his brow, so he could look a little more presentable. He should’ve worn nicer clothes or something. He didn’t realize he’d be going on a _date_ with Kevin Price today. Steeling himself, nervous to the point of nearly puking, he walked into the café.

His eyes found Kevin immediately. He was sitting at a table in the back, much like he always did. He was alone and seemed to be muttering something to himself. Probably telling himself not to worry. The thought made Connor's lips curl into a smile. He was all alone, yet his lips were moving. He honestly looked like a crazy person. Well, that made two of them then. Two nervous, awkward, gay, perfectionist, crazy people who were too scared to tell each other how they felt, for fear of rejection. They were a match made in Heaven, it seemed. 

Connor watched Kevin for a few moments, his presence going unnoticed. He watched as Kevin ran an anxious hand through his hair with one hand as he sipped a black coffee with the other. It was adorable, how nervous the normally-overconfident brunette seemed to be. Over _him_. Over _Connor_. _Connor_ was making him like that. It was inconceivable. And in that moment, as Connor watched him, Kevin Price no longer seemed like an arrogant or intimidating or scary boy who Connor had a helpless crush on, but could never attain. Right now, in this moment, Kevin Price just looked like a...boy. A nervous boy. A nervous boy who had just asked another boy out on a date for the very first time and was scared that the other boy might not reciprocate. Well, he would reciprocate. He would reciprocate and the stars would align and everything would be as it should be.

Feeling a renewed sense of relief and confidence come over him, Connor sauntered up to the table and plopped down right in front of Kevin.

“Hey, you.” Connor said, with a smirk. "What's a good Mormon boy like you doing in a place like this?"

Kevin laughed. And Connor could see the other boy's cheeks were flushed all rosy and his eyes looked kind of scared.

“Hi.” Kevin said after a moment, quietly. “So you got my notes, huh?”

“Obviously.” Connor said, coyly, leaning in closer to Kevin. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Kevin swallowed hard. “And...?”

“And...” Connor said, opting to twirl a little piece of his hair around in his fingers. “And— _yes_.”

“Yes? Yes, what?” Kevin asked, anxiously. “Yes, I'm cute? 'Cause I already knew that.”

He tried to give Connor his best arrogant smirk, to show his usual self-confidence, but he was so clearly a nervous wreck that it didn’t really work. And the look on Kevin’s face was so precious, it made Connor shake his head in bewilderment. How the heck did he get so lucky? Was this real life? Was he dreaming?

“Well, yes, you _are_ cute.” Connor said, making Kevin grin from ear to ear like a giant dumbass. “But no, I meant, _yes_ , I want to be your,” he paused for a moment and let his lips curl up into a smile, “I want to be your Valentine, Kevin.”

Connor's words caused an even stupider grin to spread out across Kevin’s face, all of the worry lines that had been there, softening just a bit and his shoulders visibly relaxing.

“So Arnold and Chris and everybody else,” Kevin said, “they were all right? About us, I mean, about _you_. You—you _like_ me?”

That made Connor snort, rather loudly, too.

“Yes, Kevin." He shook his head, smiling. "Took you long enough to realize.”

And that made Kevin blush even more, a very obvious, bright red blush. “I’m, um," he stammered a bit as he nervously wiped at his nose, "I'm not very good at these things, if you haven't noticed by now.”

“You’re better than you think.” Connor said, softly, thinking about all of the little notes and gifts that had brought him here. “You _are_ the world’s biggest dummy though.”

With that, Kevin scowled just a bit, but it wasn’t enough to replace his stupid grin, just enough to dampen it, slightly.

“Dummy." Connor said again, shaking his head in disbelief. "I’ve had a crush on you since the first day you showed up here.” He stressed, not without an eye roll. “The fact that you needed, like, eight people to tell you that before you believed it makes you a…”

“Dummy.” Kevin nodded, his grin back with full force. “Got it. But that’s why I need you, to keep me from being such a dummy.” He said, coyly. “Think you’re up for the job?”

“Please, I know I am.” Connor beamed, reaching across the table to take Kevin’s hands into his. “I mean, I _am_ the district leader, you know. Well, I  _was_ the district leader. I happen to have a knack for dealing with dummies.”

They shared a sweet silence for a few moments, just gazing into one another’s eyes, neither of them entirely sure about what to do next.

“Thanks for coming here to meet me.” Kevin eventually whispered. “I was worried you were gonna think this whole thing was super lame.”

“Well, I’m a sucker for lame.” Connor grinned. “And dummies.” He reached up and poked Kevin on the nose, making him blush once again. "But it wasn't lame. Not at all. It was amazing, Kevin. You're amazing."

"Really?" Kevin asked, perking up. 

"Really."

"Yeah, well, you're not half-bad either." Kevin said, playfully, giving Connor a little kick under the table, making the redhead roll his eyes.

They sat there for a long time together—just talking, laughing, gently poking fun at one another. Kevin drank his coffee (black, no sugar, of course) and Connor, his herbal tea. They sat at their little table until it was nearly time to go home and watch the movie with the rest of the gang. The sun was setting over the horizon, cascading a beautiful sunset across the sky. It was quite romantic and a fitting end to their first date.

“We should probably get going.” Connor said, softly, as he stood up. “It’s dark outside already.”

“Yeah.” Kevin nodded, nervously wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. He extended his hand out to Connor, silently asking him to take it. “May I?”

Connor beamed, his freckled cheeks all aglow, as he clasped his hand into Kevin’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze. They walked home like that, hand-in-hand, strolling lazily along the dirt road. They wanted to prolong their alone time together as much as possible, taking the time to simply enjoy the new, magical feeling of their hands being intertwined together, never breaking them apart until they reached the front door.

“Hey, um, so before we go inside and see everyone, I have one more thing I wanted to do.” Kevin whispered, quietly. "If it's okay."

Connor nodded, his eyes warm and glazed over just a bit from being so enamored with Kevin, with the moment, and with everything.

And then without another word, Kevin leaned in and delicately brushed his lips against Connor’s, so lightly it was nearly impossible to feel it. But Connor felt it and it felt like everything he’d ever imagined it would. He felt tiny little crackles of sparks going off in his head and his heart and his lower half and he instinctively leaned in to deepen the kiss, wrapping his arms around Kevin’s waist as he did so. He heard a soft moan escape Kevin’s throat, making Connor’s entire body light up on fire. This was almost too much. He’d never wanted anyone as much as he wanted Kevin.

Pulling back, Kevin reached up and ran a hand through Connor’s hair, his fingers gliding through the silky locks with ease. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Con. Thanks for going along with my weird note...plan.. thing. I was scared it might backfire.” He laughed a little. “It was pretty silly.”

“I loved it.” Connor assured, bumping his forehead into Kevin’s. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Kevin.”


End file.
